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Seven Years Into Perimenopause and I’ve Finally Realized What I Have to Do
It’s time to surrender to the process…but not give up on my search for solutions
Did you know you’re not allowed to talk about perimenopause during a well-woman’s exam? I just learned this when I called to make my annual appointment, joking about how desperately I needed help with my perimenopausal symptoms.
“You’ll have to make a separate appointment for that,” the receptionist said. “That’s not part of a well-woman’s exam. That’s it’s own health problem.”
I was dumbstruck — and frankly, furious. (Though maybe that’s just the hormones…)
Isn’t a well-woman’s exam about maintaining wellness…as a woman? How can one do that in perimenopause if one isn’t allowed to talk about perimenopause?
And I suspected the receptionist had gone off-script, calling perimenopause a “health problem.” I suddenly imagined that I could tell her age based on the sound of her voice, and that age had to be under 35.
I suppose one could argue that I’m being a tad overly-sensitive here. After all, I did mention that I’ve been having frustrating issues (and honestly, maybe I used the word “problems”…I don’t quite remember) due to perimenopause, so it would be…
